


Falling and Busted

by TheShipDen



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Being Connor, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Deviants (Detroit: Become Human), Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Mentioned Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Other, hurt!Connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-05 17:11:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16371728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShipDen/pseuds/TheShipDen
Summary: Chasing a deviant for a trial, Connor ends up loosing his footings and tumbles off a balcony. After a few hits, he lands, worse for wear.But Hank is there, and does his damn best to help out his partner. After all, he deserves it, and no android could pry away Connor's life from Hank's hands. Not if he had anything to say about it.





	1. Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who fell into Detroit: Become Human fandom??? like months late??? mE THATS FUCKING WHO-
> 
>  
> 
> okay but seriously?? I like lOVE everything about this game, so much? And to anyone who isn't familiar, you're missing out! I thought it wasn't a big deal at first too but--
> 
>  
> 
> oh I was so wrong.
> 
> After that kitchen scene, and some fic readings, I deemed not enough Hurt! Connor content and made my own. Fluffy, happy ending!

Connor was running the second the deviant took off. Normally, he wouldn’t be doing this since the revolution Markus had created, but a man had been murdered. And even if signs of abuse were shown on the android and during Connor’s own reconstruction, the law was the law. And it was as simple as this; Apprehend, review evidence, trial, and then the ruling. His mission was to obtain this deviant, and this time around, not for CyberLife’s selfish desire but of that for justice. 

 

Hank was trying to keep up, really he was, but years of alcohol abuse and intensive cholesterol intake had defiled his body and left him far behind. Even if Hank were in his younger years before the accident, he still wouldn’t be able to keep up with Connor. He was CyberLife’s most advanced android, a prototype that was no longer being tested, but by far the most capable of the job. His processor scanned the scene before him, listing his instructions. 

 

_**< < MISSION: DETAIN DEVIANT.**_

 

_** << RATE OF SUCCESS: 63%**_

 

The deviant was quick on their feet, jumping over hurdles and throwing any object within their path down to try and get the hunter off their trail. But Connor was shiftier then their feats of obscurities, he might’ve taken riskier routes to the end destination but he still held the belief that the mission overtook anything else. He was glad to be an android, because he never tired, which meant he could continuously chase the accused until their capture.

 

They hiked themselves up a wall, so did Connor. 

 

They rounded a sharp corner, as did he.

 

They jumped off the roof, rolling into a stumble before racing off again. Connor mimicked. 

 

It was going well until the deviant ran into a dead end and looked towards Connor, there was a deep rooted reluctance in their eyes, fingertips twitching. 

 

“My name is Connor, I’m not here to hurt you, please don’t resist.” He opted for a sincere, friendly approach to try and persuade the deviant to follow him. 

 

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” They barked, drawing their shoulders inward for protection. They felt threatened by the other android’s presence, their stress levels rising dramatically. 

 

“I believe you, the evidence is in your favor but if you continue to run, that will create problems. Please, come with me peacefully and I promise-“ Flashbacks to Daniel entered his mind. He took in a stabling breath to cool his sensors. “- that nothing will happen to you. You will not be hurt.” 

 

_You lied to me Connor._

 

Apparently, that had been the wrong approach.

 

The next thing Connor knew, the deviant was charging him and he was sent to the cold, icy ground. Their weight was pinning his right arm beside him, fists raining down to try and knock their hunter off for only a moment before resuming their plan of hiding away. And he couldn’t blame them, the humans weren’t exactly completely changed. The old ways that installed fear to their core wasn’t something that could be taken away overnight. So, Connor had to defend himself as best he could. 

 

He grabbed at their arm, twisting it and surging forward with all the force of the sharpened Detroit winds, and sent them both clinging to each other. They tumbled and crashed off a ledge onto a smaller balcony, both grunted in response but Connor was up first. 

 

He went to grab, again, at their hands to try and twist them behind their backs to lead them back towards the cop cars and then send them to the station. But before he could do anything else, they had anticipated his movements and slung the poor droid over their shoulder, letting him smash into the brick wall and clamber down ungracefully to the metallic floor. The deviant went to book it up a latter that lead to the floor they had fallen from, but Connor expertly tugged on their ankles and sent them rightfully plucked away from the escape. 

 

“Just let me _go_!” They cried as they kicked at his knees, effectively unstabling him and then grabbing him. They tried to push Connor back but they were met at a stalemate. Equally matched as they both pushed against one another with strength that only humans could dream of. Jaws set, faces grim, and nails digging painfully (if they could feel such a thing) into the other’s synthetic skin. 

 

“Let this go,” Connor pleaded once again. His eyes taking on the ‘puppy-dog’ look that Hank always cursed, but it always worked in those situations- so maybe now? “Just come with me, I can _save_ you.”

 

“Fucking get ‘em Connor!” Came a familiar raspy, guttural call from the opposite building. Both droids shifted their gaze at the stranger, Connor recognizing them as his partner Hank, the other knowing him as their condemner. 

 

His programming alerting him of sudden spiked levels and quick movement. His eyes widened as they swept their feet from under his own, making him waver and loose his footing. They went to punch him but he already expected that and stepped to the side, handling the deviant roughly and shoving them away from himself for more space. He was readying his shoulder to butt it against them in a pin towards the wall but their hands flew to his middle, bypassing his hands that were braced at his sides for impact, and jetted themselves forward. 

 

Connor’s eyes snapped to Hank, who was still speaking for him to win and book the perp, a moment’s distraction that ended up with the deviant hauling Connor up and throwing him over the railing by his jacket’s front. The droid held onto the railing’s feet for dear life, in a vice-like grip. Hank must’ve drawn his gun because he heard firing. He was midway into pulling himself back up and onto the platform when the deviant got hit and was now crashing into him. Shielding themselves behind him, a late bullet splicing into Connor’s shoulder and making his LED flash bright red. 

 

The sudden jostle was unaccounted for, and it made his balance unstable further the more handsy the droid got, they couldn’t pick between pulling him and pushing him until finally the rusty old metal gave way and they were both falling. Connor didn’t miss the flash of repressed pain in his partner’s eyes as he was dropping in the air like a pen from a human hand. 

 

Time seemed to slow as his processors whirled to pick out the best course of action to preserve his life or possibly save the deviant falling with him. His surroundings didn’t help entirely too much but maybe if he just-

 

A loud metallic bang chimed through the air as Connor landed roughly onto something- something _hard_ that jammed into his side- and the other android hit it squarely, unlike him. The hunter had only nicked the side and was now headed onto another surface, his sensors too shaken from the first hit to register a method of avoidance. He hit another _unforgiving_ object and it took only one more for him to finally stop falling, laying defeated on what he assumed to be some fort of plating. 

 

_**SCANNING AREA. . .**_

_**1ST FLOOR LEDGE, METAL DESIGNED PLATFORM.**_

 

_**RUNNING SELF DIAGNOSTIC. . .**_

 

_**DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE.**_

His vision glitches and he tried to crawl himself to a standing position but failed, errors and warnings popping up to inform him of his injuries. 

 

_**SIDE: FRACTURED, DENTED.**_  
_**THIRUIM PUMP REGULATOR: DAMAGED.**_  
_**OPTICAL UNIT: CRACKED.**_  
_**LEFT LEG: DAMAGED.**_  
_**RIGHT HAND: IN NEED OF REPAIRS.**_

 

He could feel himself losing sight of his surroundings, heard footsteps running away and coming towards him, voices and sirens, but he couldn’t place them to people and couldn’t figure out what was going on. 

 

_**SELF-REPAIRS: INITIATED. . .**_

 

Someone’s hands were on his shoulders, hoisting him up and shaking his face. His eyes squinted and looked around until he settled on a blurb of color, silvery and peach before it melted into a face. Hank’s face. His brows set and lips drawn thin as he looked his android up and down. His lips were moving but Connor had trouble deciphering what was being said. 

 

_**SHUT DOWN: PENDING . . .**_

 

His eyes twitched and unfocused as his database swept over his body once more, trying to fix the damage that it could. Connor felt the thirium slowing throughout his body as cracked limbs and other vital units crashed or caved upon impact. His body might have been in worse for wear, but he just needed time to complete his own repairs. 

 

“ _-ing Christ_ Connor! Are you even fuckin’ listenin’ to me!? _Shit!_ ” He heard Hank curse as his rapid blinking finally died down and his head swerved towards his hand, analyzing. His plating was, indeed, splintering in the middle and making functionality difficult but he could still move his fingers and manage. 

 

“Lieutenant,” Connor greeted and sat up. His good hand clutched his side and felt the clothing around his side dampen with more thirium. Hank was starring at him with a look he’d never seen before and couldn’t name the emotion that was flashing inside of his blue eyes. His finger tips left his wound and lightly touched his face- more blue blood falling out of his eyes like tears as they stained his usually white orbs a dark blue while his normally brown pupil was dyed a bright cerulean. 

 

Connor looked more busted and more robotic by the second, it seemed to the Lieutenant, and with the trickle out of his android’s lips made it clear that Connor had not made it out as cleanly as Hank had been hoping. “You’re gonna be alright, son, okay? We’ll fix you up.”

 

He’s heard that before, _in the kitchen-_

_**ACCESSING PREVIOUS DATABASE: LOADING. . .**_

 

_**ANAZLYSIS: CONCLUDED.**_

-when the deviant had detached Connor’s thirium pump and left him for dead. Then, he’d called for Hank to aid him while he was mid-shutdown. Thankfully, the man returned in time and put his regulator in place, cradling his weak form and petting his tussled hair until he had gotten his systems back to normal functions. And now wasn’t any different. 

 

Connor felt every other pat, every ruffle through his hair as his partner attempted to soothe him, and watched as his android gently felt his cracked optical unit. He tried to scan the blood, even if he already knew it was his own, and he winced as the harsh glitching put everything in red lines and made his neck tick in a dysfunctional manner, indicating his broken and unruly systems. 

 

“Ha-..Hank,” he got out weakly. His hand feeling the human up until he managed to grip onto wrinkled clothing. 

 

“I gotcha, don’t worry kid, let’s bring you home.” Hank reassured and went to pick up the battered droid, his back could protest all it wanted but he wasn’t going to let it give out now, not when this was so important. 

 

“Dev-… deviant- regulator, we…we-“ The android sputtered, unfocused eyes filtering what little it could as he looked around. He knew he wasn’t on the ground anymore but couldn’t pinpoint where he was. Up. It was up. How was he up? “- crashed…got wa-..away.”

 

“ _Fuck_ the deviant! This is about you for fuck’s sake! The mission or whatever the hell you call it, can wait!” Hank bristled, walking as quickly as he could with the still bleeding droid in his arms towards his car. Ignoring all the stares he got from his workers and peers, uncaring about anyone or thing besides his Connor in the moment. 

 

“Understood.” He heard the droid speak- robotic and uneven in it’s drawl, which worried Hank more then anything. This wasn’t his Connor, his Connor always argued or at least tried to, even defied him sometimes. But he was now compliant and placid as he was being held. Normally he’d make some smartass comment about how he didn’t need to be carried because he wasn’t human. But now, he only allowed it, and rested his head against the Lieutenant’s shoulder. 

 

The drive home was hurried, and Hank might’ve used his position as an officer to pass red lights and the recommended speed limit. But before the poor CyberLife investigator knew what was happening, he was stumbling and bumping his way to the doorway. For the first time, he had actually felt tired and his head full, almost like it was throbbing in a human way to mimic a migraine or head injury. Was this what it was like to be alive? Odd, but fascinating…

 

“What’s it look like in there, Con?” Hank muttered, finally managing to open the door and drag his near-limp partner inside their now shared house. The big dog eager to greet his masters home, “Sumo Heel!” And he did. Whining in his own displeasure. 

 

“ _Systems operating at 49.8%, optical unit and auditory processors is impediment, regulator irregular and withholding possible shutdown, mobility functions decreasing and worsening, self-repairs stalled, side protectors-_ “

 

“Shit-fuck, okay! Okay! English here, metalhead!” The panic was there in the man's voice, and with his glitchy scanning ability, Connor managed to read the adrenaline and stress levels inside of the human now laying him on the couch. Packing pillows under his head and legs, fluffing them as he saw fit to try and make the android stable. 

 

Connor blinked, computing to put all his attention into speaking clearly and properly, translating into simplistics he hoped made clear connections to the human's mind. “I feel….discomfort, a-and need repairs.”

 

_**WARNING: LOW ON THIRIUM. INTERNAL EQUILIBRIUM OFFPUT.**_

 

“I’ll call a mechanic to come and take a look- just stay with me here, ‘kay? And don’t fucking move! You’re all fucked up and, fuckin’ _fuck_ \- how do I help?” He could sense the unease in the police lieutenant’s heart, options flickering in and out of his mind as he worked to a solution to fix it. But he couldn’t- not when he started seeing doubles of everything. 

 

“My core te-...temperature is...off, may I request a blanket?” 

 

“Of course, hold tight, kid.” Hank barked, giving the boy a squeeze before he got to his feet and made a bee-line to his bedroom, stripping the sheets off of the bed and grabbing more pillows then necessary as he made his way back, draping it over the resting bot and looking over him again. 

 

“Thank you, Hank.” Connor spoke, making Hank’s heart lurch at the nonhuman sound of it, but it was the bright, grateful smile that warmed the place that got him almost sniffling. 

 

“Don’t mention it.” He sighed, fingers dialing at the phone in his hands and pressing buttons when the CyberLife auto message told him to. An agent would be on it’s way to them, and then him and his Connor would be fine. Good as new. His chest felt tight. 

 

_**STANDBY MODE: ACTIVATING. . . 10. . . 9. . .**_

 

“Lieutenant, I cannot... oper-ate fully li...like this. My systems are going into stasis, while my memories upload incase of unfa-...unfavorable outcomes. Can.. Can I..,” He hesitated. Which was so far from what he usually did, and it stabbed at one of Hank’s lungs, rolling his gut in tight coils as that LED kept flashing in reds and crimson hues. 

 

“What is it Connor?” The human gently probed, laying his hand onto the droid’s forehead and tucking that loose tuft into the tangled mess from the fall. When he still wouldn’t speak up, Hank let his pride falter. “You can tell me anything."

 

“Will you…stay?” There was worry in his delirious mocha eyes, ones that couldn’t be turned down.

 

Hank actually smiled, the one that wrinkled the skin around his eyes, that made the icy blues melt on a spring day to sprout flowers in their fields, the one that was Connor’s favorite. “Fuckin’ _course_ , never dreamed of leaving.”

 

_**6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .**_

 

“Thank you,” It was in moments like these that Connor was proud to be deviant himself. To have listened to the detective and allowed himself to reject his programming, to override Amanda and all her wrongdoings. He was so happy to have met Hank and let himself be converted by Markus and his movement, even more appreciative when Hank took him in and helped him. When he needed it most, even when he was still only a mere tool for CyberLife. In that kitchen, Hank stayed by his side and while he actually felt vulnerable; Hank had made him feel safe and cared for. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but he now did, and he only wished he had accepted the change sooner. 

 

“See you soon, Con.” Was the last thing Connor heard before his systems turned off his sensors to repair and rest while the mechanic made it’s way there to fix the bigger problems he couldn’t on his own. 

 

_** << SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ↑**_

_** << HANK: FAMILY ↑**_


	2. Repaired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor gets repaired, meeting new emotions along the way. Good thing Hank's so attentive....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you asked for it and here it is, in record time too

It took longer then Hank could stand for the agent to come knocking on his front door, but rather then bitch as he wanted to at the poor soul, he ushered them in to take a look at Connor. An hour or two had passed by, and the man’s worry for his partner never went down. After the incident with Cole, Hank wasn’t about to risk losing the only other family he had left. He wouldn’t let history repeat itself. Not this time.

 

“You said he tumbled down a few flights?” 

 

“Yeah- took a fuck ton of damage.” Hank growled, bitter and low. 

 

“I can access the external damage but for anything beyond that, I’ll need it to-“

 

“ _He._ ”

 

“What?”

 

“His _name_ is Connor, and _Connor_ isn’t an it.” Hank corrected, an icy glare settling over the other soul and for a heartbeat, they stared. 

 

“Right, right. Apologizes. But I’ll need to get i- _he_ , uh, awake to tell me his condition.” They informed quietly, holding a bit of nerves for the lieutenant at their right. 

 

They waited for permission to continue, hands outstretched towards the fallen android on the couch, unmoving and silent. Hank remembered Connor mentioning discomfort, and he’d hate to put his partner in a position of unrest but it was for the better. If he got fixed up quicker then there would be no discomfort to feel anymore- a sacrifice. But one he had to, and was willing, to make. 

 

“If he ticks or any of that shit, let him power down. ’S better for ‘em.”

 

“Of course,” They responded and tapped against the LED that laid buried inside the android’s temple. 

 

For a long moment, nothing happened except for some crumpled whirling sounds as the LED swirled to a blue before it began it’s flashing of a crimson rose, alerting those around it of the danger it was facing. Connor was slow to start but once his eyes opened, it was clear he was trying to process what was going on. 

 

_**SYSTEMS: UP** _

 

_**ERROR: MANY DAMAGED BIOCOMPARTMENTS** _

 

_**SCANNING AREA . . .** _

 

_**AREA SCAN INTERRUPTED.**_

 

_**DANGER: OPTICAL UNIT DOWN.** _

 

“Hey son, how you feelin’? This guy here’s gonna boot you back up, then you’ll be up on your feet in no time.” Hank spoke, voice carrying a warmth that had completely missed the agent. Connor’s eyes filtered around until they found the blur of colors that belonged to the officer, focusing on the small grin that appeared upon his recognition, and trying to give one back. It turned more forced then he wanted, sadly, making Hank’s disappear. 

 

“RK800, run a diagnostic.” 

 

The human had to hold back a sharp gasp as he watched the droid’s eyes roll towards the back of his head, eyelids flickering rapidly and harshly as the action rode on in complete silence. Normally, that would be something far more fatal to a human, even considering that Connor wasn’t entirely human; the sight made the lieutenant’s stomach twist and toes curl. He grew to quickly hate it the longer it went on, once it stopped, his droid looked at a loss for some time before narrowing in on the stranger. 

 

_“Thirium intake is considerably low and falling, thirium pump regulator is pumping inefficiently, tubes have been jetted a skew, right leg is un-operational, right palm splintered and in need of repairs. Auditory unit and optical processors working at 53.78% and lowering. Temperature undulating.”_

 

The small amount of speech seemed to take the wind right out of the android- which was silly, considering that they didn’t even breathe. But Connor was deathly pale, and tired well beyond his years. Hank wasn’t sure what he’d just heard but knew it wasn’t good. Instead of fixing though, the agent merely took out a portal holographic computer, turning back to the droid. 

 

“State your Serial Number, please.”

 

_“#313 248 317- 51.”_

 

The agent was quiet again, and Hank watched as Connor simply almost fell asleep, if androids could sleep. They pressed repeatedly into their fucking screen instead of caring for his partner before putting the damned thing aside and getting closer. He watched as their eyes scanned over the droid’s fractured body before reaching towards the stained white dress shirt and began to unbutton it. With Connor not protesting in any way meant it was a normal occurrence, so Hank didn’t bother snapping at them for it and let them work. 

 

At the tap of their finger, plates shifted and moved to reveal the mechanical genius underneath, the true part that revealed how utterly different the android was to humanity. The area was dimmed low, a dark blue hue to it and a small puddle of what Hank knew was blue blood pooling around mangled tubes. In the middle he noticed a dented, glowing, pulsing circular object to what he remembered as Connor’s heart. 

 

The very one that was ripped from him in the kitchen and hastily shoved back into place last second. The agent was leaning closer, hands working inside of the haul, shielded in their own mystery and the person’s broad shoulders. They grabbed different tools and pouches from their bag and traded in small parts, not wanting to crowd, Hank opted for sitting down. 

 

Whatever they were doing took time, and before he knew it, he was becoming drowsy and falling asleep. The screeching ends of a chair jolted him into awareness as they packed their bags and began to make their way to the door, he was quick to follow. 

 

“I’ll have to see if we have any spare limbs to replace the ones that can’t be salvaged. Inflation can repair some of the damage done which can be ministered by the android’s self-repair systems. I’ll message you when I’ve gotten the parts together but I gave him more blue blood to sedate the amount lost. He should be alright until we can replace the other things.”

 

“How long will that take?” Unknown to Hank, Connor caught the underlying meaning in that. _I don’t want to leave him like that._

 

“No more then a day or two- business days, that is.” Hank looked like he was about to protest but paused when they opened their mouth to say something else. 

 

Connor couldn’t process what he was trying to hear, small lapses in sound making the message hard to decipher.

 

_**SELF REPAIRS BEGAN . . .** _

 

_**ESTIMATED TIME: 9 HOURS . . .** _

 

_**SYSTEMS OPERATING: 34.3%** _

 

Fabric against wood rose the android from his analysis, a sigh coming from the depths of his tired partner who looked at him with kind yet yielding eyes. 

 

_**CORE: STABLIZING . . .** _

 

_**SCANNING: . . .** _

_**\- ASTRAY HAIR PATTERN** _  
_**-CLOTHINGS WRINKLED (APART FROM NORM)** _  
_**-TWITCHY FINGERS, WITHDRAWAL- YEARNING** _  
_**CONCLUSION: STRESS** _

 

“Did you know, listening to loud music will result in a 30% higher risk of hearing loss?” Connor responded, tipping his head to the side and splaying a quick wink to take the tension from the room. 

 

There was a groan, soft in nature and well-intended as the bigger of the two crossed the room, righting the clothing that was left askew on his partner. His touch gentle, even if it wasn’t needed, even if Connor could take harder hits, there was no harm in it. If it were pointed out, Hank would only grumble and stalk away. All that seemed to matter was that Connor understood- in his own way, with yellow indicators and lights. 

 

The android stilled the humans hand, good one holding just as softly and earning blue eyes on his own browns. The skin on the droid’s hand peeled back, leaving the unmarked white surface under it in it’s wake. Hank didn’t pull away, but watched, as joints and the palm grew to glow and he knew what it was Connor was doing. Interfacing- just as Markus and North had. He wasn’t cemented on it’s meaning, but it filled up something empty inside of him that he wasn’t aware needed the affections. 

 

“Thank you,” Was all his partner said. Sincere, puppy eyes cutting into Hank’s being the longer he stared, then it was gone. And Connor was back to lounging peacefully, undisturbed. Porcelain white hidden by a pleasant tan. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He snorted, slinking back to the chair close to the couch. One quick glance and a wince, yellow light pouring from the droid’s temple telling him all he needed to know. “I’ve been ‘ere and I’m staying. Nothin’ about it, kid.”

 

“Lieutenant, what will happen to our cases?” Innocent sounding yet so full of eager energy, Hank had to hold back his need to snap at the android about discussing work topics after work. Especially at a time such as this, but he held his tongue. The kid was still learning and looked like a ghost. He could let some things slide. 

 

“They’ll just fuck themselves until we get back to it.” Reclining in the chair, rooted to the very spot, Hank crossed his arms.

 

“The average person uses profanity at least 0.5% in their daily verbal output, but you lieutenant, seem to amount higher then that margin.” 

 

“ _Chris_ t Connor! Would you cut the shit?” Though the comment was meant to be harsh, it bared no true heat, both parties knew that. Hank was relieved to see his partner acting more like himself, teasing in his own stupid robotic way. Deviancy had done that to him, left him a little shit where he’d stand down. Hank loved it, despite how much he complained about it. 

 

“Apologies, Lieutenant.” Connor said, smiling, nice and wide. Another attribute to deviancy. The shit-eating grin he learned from Hank and Gavin, mainly the former, and established favoritism over the emote. Damned kid. 

 

______________________________________

 

“Connor!”

 

The android didn’t stir. Eyelids heavy and closed. Hank wandered over and gently shook his partner by the shoulder, watching the sullen LED flicker to life in the angry red as mocha pools flashed open in a jolt. There was a wince, what Connor described as wire interference or some shit, that made Hank’s breathing stall. 

 

“Woah there- easy does it! Shit face agent finally brought the parts you need,” He explained and gestured to the opened packages at his side. The droid squirmed and wiggled until he was sitting up, outstretched hand reaching for the cardboard.

 

The lieutenant rolled his eyes when Connor’s hand didn’t reach and handed the smallest one over first. Connor put his good hand inside and took the small cylindrical plug, without scanning the object himself, he’d have to trust the company that once tried to take over his mind. Just the thought of Amanda and all that she could’ve done made Connor shiver unpleasantly, the feeling of the gun pressing coldly against the underside of his chin- _the fear and regret, the panic he had felt, the disappointment and failures_ \- it all crashed down upon his shoulders. 

 

“Hey there, kid, calm down!” Hank’s surprised interruption made him blink, LED swirling around in his despair stilled only for a moment, the red still rosy in color. “Do you, uh, need a hand?” He offered almost awkwardly, and Connor could see the want to help, the loss mirrored inside the older human’s eyes. 

 

“If you could install my regulator, tha-t-“ glitch, one that made his entire head jerk. “-at would be….efficient.” 

 

There was a nod, or he guessed that what it was, coming from the human. The weight of the plug no longer in his hands, when had it even left? Shakily, Connor unbuttoned his shirt, movements ungraceful and uncoordinated as blackened lines and static spun his mind inside and out. Finally when cool air hit his warmed artificial skin did he sigh, a moment of peace before the white returned. Slinking up the front of his stomach and retracting over his chest, showing off the robotic truth to his peachy facade. Revealing that he was all machine. Hank’s _opposite._ Hank’s _subordinate._ Hank’s _slave- one that had to obey him, all the time-_

 

“Don’t you fuckin’ _dare_ make me do this my damn self, Con! Talk me through this, I ain’t no fuckin' mechanic.” Though it was aggressive in nature, the warmth still laced itself around the words. Amanda was no longer apart of his programming, she couldn’t force him into submission no longer. And even if she reared her face- Connor had Hank, would _always_ have Hank. 

 

Plating slid open, wires and tubes directing signals and newly replenished thirium all throughout the android’s body. There were scratches, like small scars, staining the metallic insides from the dented sides. True to the agent’s words, Connor had repaired the minorities such as that, but his hand trembled as it held onto Hank’s wrist. Memories surging out of his database without his permission of the kitchen- knife stabbed through his hand and heart nearly ripped out. Bleeding and dying on the cold, unforgiving floor. 

 

But like then, Hank had been there. Is there. Beside him. And like then, Connor had the upmost faith in his human. “Take the damaged regulator out. I will have a moment of error but once the new one is placed, I’ll be okay. Shut down takes 1 minute so you have time. Do not be afraid.”

 

Hank scowled at the CyberLife brand tagged right under the opening, and the writing etched along Connor’s pectoral. _Bastards._ His own hand came up to dislodge Connor’s, laying it on his knee instead as his hand slowly went into his chest cavity. This felt invasive and wrong to Hank on many, many levels. Focusing on Connor and not the life-changing incident that had happened to his own son. Hank yanked the damned thing out-

 

_**WARNING: VI^AL SYST4M DAM3GED**_  
_**-00:01:45 TIME REMAINING BEFORE SHUTDONJ**_

 

_**DANGER: BIOCOMPONENT #8456w MISSIQG** _

 

_**-00:00:5qw TIWB ri’māniNG** _

 

-Connor’s hand flexed and dug into the human’s knee, a sharp gasp blowing past his lips as his vision blanked out completely, nothing but alerts and alarms ringing deafly inside his processors as seconds ticked away like minutes. He looked dazed out of hell, head lulling and jerking as his body twitched without the item. Hank’s face dimmed, jaw clenching as he set the plug in it’s rightful place. Once in, Connor gave a groan, puffy and airtight. 

 

His LED spun a wild, untamable yellow as the noise flared to a halt and his surroundings came back in color. He was unsteady for a few lingering moments, Hank knew by how he could barely hold his head up before he seemed to shake it off. The plate sliding back into place as his synthetic skin came back to give color to the ghostly white. “You alright there, son?”

 

Connor felt his thirium circulating, his sensors letting him know around the same time as the blood coursed perfectly throughout his tubes. Silence rang out as the android patted himself down before nodding, looking towards the other boxes. “What’s next?”

 

His partner gave him one last worrying look, noting to never touch anywhere near there ever again, before presenting a compatible optical unit. “Need help with this one or-…?”

 

“I can do the rest of the repairs on my own, lieutenant, but you can watch if you’d like.” The scoff he heard made him smile, as if there was a chance the old cop would ever leave him to himself in the first place. 

 

The fake flesh that the droid sported, once more, fell to reveal the sparking and cracked area around his chocolate rich eye. Hank wanted to say he was horrified with the way Connor simply popped the piece off, leaving a gaping hole of flaring red and blue before clicking the new addition into it’s spot. But he was oddly fascinated. And disgusted. _Mildly_ disgusted. 

 

Next came the hand. The android turned it inhumanely, sockets and screws grinding prematurely as the thing came loose from it’s wiring. The rounded connections and colorful wires hanging bare and out- Hank felt obligated not to look and instead try to catch someone outside the windows, like they’d be jumped if nothing was put there quick. His eyes were drawn back to it, though, when Connor set the thicker bolt-like-joints to the plugs to attached. Righting the wires and tubes, the hand gained color once thirium now pulsed throughout it. Then took the color of his own skin. As if it had never been anywhere else but on Connor’s wrist. 

 

Now he was rolling his jeans up, the lieutenant gaping wide at the rods and circuits mangled- metal sharp and frayed at the ends and cutting up important looking operations. Blood still leaked from the injury, painting it all in a rustic navy fashion. He was immensely glad Connor had no pain receptors, or this could’ve been a different story. _“Holy shit.”_

 

“It is not as bad as it looks.” Quick quipped as ever, the android spoke. He turned the knee over, the entire leg going with it. Leaning in, Hank saw the wiring separate and the tubes’ cap disconnect, the bulky joints layered wrong and swerved off the straight line. He swallowed, hard and thick. “Will you hand me my new component?”

 

“Wha- oh, yeah. ‘Course, sure.” The little shit was chuckling at him- holding his own leg in his new hand like it was nothing. _Androids._ “Fucking androids.”

 

“Thank you,” Connor grinned before setting to work again. This time, Hank didn’t need to watch. Shoulder hunching at the clicks, cracks, and tinkering. The ruffling of clothing got his attention, seeing the droid rolling his jeans back down and attempting to stand. 

 

Neither of them were expecting the stumbling, the way Connor walked on unsteady feet and almost collapsed again onto the floor. Hank was quick to shoot up, grabbing him and holding on with all of his might- heaving the heavy fucker up and steady. 

 

“Apologies, that was…unexpected…” 

 

“Damn right it was! What the _fuck_ , Connor!”

 

_**< < MISSION: DETAIN DEVIANT.** _

 

~~_**< < MISSION: FAILED.** _~~

 

It popped up all around his sight, leaving his balance to waver under him. The human groaned, protesting the sudden slack before stomping them both over to the bathroom where he dumped the blundering android into the tub. Strong, calloused hands gripped his face and felt the heated skin pooling along the fallen droid. Shit. 

 

“M-My systems should be fully operational- I don’t- don’t compu- I’ve failed my mission!” He slurred, stumbling even over words. 

 

“Relax, let’s give it some time, ‘kay? You were out of commission for longer then you’re probably used to.”

 

“Hank, it doesn’t work like that, I’m-“ _a machine._ He was going to say but stopped. His partner noticing the unfinished statement and grieving eyes as white flashed inside those chocolate eyes- _Amanda._ Oh, Amanda…

 

_**SYSTEMS BLOCKING. . .** _

 

_**LOCATING ROOT OF PROBLEM. . . . . .** _

 

“How ‘bout we scrub this shit off ya and then get ya some rest, huh? Bet you’ll be feelin’ better then.”

 

The water was running before Connor could get any words out, brows knitted and confused. He recognized the temperature of the liquid, the one that Hank preferred- the same temperature that brought Hank comfort and relaxation was soaking his clothes and filling the tub. Coaxed by big hands, Connor’s uniform was dragged off of his body. 

 

Already, the water was tented a light blue hue as the dirt and blood rubbed off. Hank left to the counter and got a rag, setting to his business on cleaning Connor up- splashing water onto his messy hair and brushing his fingers through it to tame it. The sensations overwhelmed his sensors, processors getting fed up with all the new information and adjusting- he has to let his consciousness take over- had to let himself _become human._

 

And it was nice. 

 

The warmth seeping into his core, righting and regulating the proper temperature he should maintain. The hands bringing him to focus on only now and not what was or what will be, all thoughts of Amanda cascaded out of him, pooling in the water around him. Connor knows he should tell Hank about Amanda, but he couldn’t bring himself too. Just like Hank couldn’t talk about Cole, Connor couldn’t utter a single syllable about the programmed woman. Instead, he let himself be preened by attentive hands. 

 

Hank’s hand rested softly upon his face, cradling his cheek and tenderly wiping the thirium that remained there, passed the rag over his lips and chin, and marveled at the way the peach dissolved into the white only where his hand touched the android. 

 

“What’s that even mean, anyway?” He commented, gruff and low as he worked. 

 

“What does what mean, Lieutenant?” Connor hummed, cracking open his eyes when he never even remembered them closing. 

 

“The flashy-android-thing you keep doing.”

 

There was a moment where Connor took to think- the only times he had done it was back in the CyberLife storage units. Where he had freed all those androids and marched them to the revolution. Or the times where he probed for memories inside of another’s memories, syncing their database with his own to gather information to aid him in his missions. But he had never done it to any person before, nor to another android. 

 

“Well, I am not certain entirely but I believe it means that I…-“

 

_**< < SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ↑ ↑** _

 

“- have a deep attachment to you.”

 

_He stared out, eyes meeting a mimic of his own before they flew towards one’s of blue. Voices the same, hair the same, movement the exact same. They were identical, all the way down to wire placement. Except, the fake didn’t have the bullet holes. Didn’t bleed the way the real Connor was. Their chest puffed outwards with mirth, thinking they had killed him, thinking they had won. As their shoes pattered by him on the floor, that’s when Connor lurched._

 

_The transfer was hard, but it had been done. Connor watched what could’ve been, how he almost had gone out- the fading voice, the bleeding, the wounds. He watched another version of himself be shut down. Only this one wouldn’t be replaced. This one wasn’t coming back._

 

Connor almost felt bad about stealing their words. But he couldn’t process anything by himself at the moment, and Hank didn’t seem to mind. 

 

“Towel yourself off and I’ll get you something comfortable to wear.”

 

Catching the fabric, the droid followed orders and stood, it not taking very long for the human to cross the hallway and slip into his room. Connor sunk onto the toilet lid, sitting wrapped in a bundle as he waited patiently, listening in on the drawers and closet doors that alerted him to Hank’s entire process. The human wadded back, handing the clothes to the woozy detective. 

 

Connor put the grey DPD hoodie on, holding his still-adjusting leg and setting it inside the sweats and wiggling the pants up past his hips. The lieutenant looked him up and down, smiled and offered his hand practically throwing the droid on his feet with only one tug. His balance was still off, prepared this time, the old officer simply wrapped his arm around the android’s shoulder and helped him back over to the couch littered with pillows and blankets.

 

Connor was set down, Hank changing the pillows with dried thirium on them to newer, softer ones. He even waited until his partner was laid down entirely before draping a blanket that smelled like Sumo over him and tucked in the sides. The old dog whined at the lack of attention and staggered himself over towards the pair, resting right by the head of the sofa. 

 

_**PREPARING FOR STASIS. . .**_

 

“You boys better behave tonight.” The lieutenant cackled, squatting to ruffled his own dog’s ears before patting his android over the shoulder. A certain adoration shining with relief as Connor’s eyelids drooped. Heavy and unyielding. 

 

“Good-..Goodnight, Hank..” The droid slurred, before he stilled and quieted for the night. Sadly missing the smile thrown his way by the person he felt like he belonged to, felt like he had a home with. 

 

_**STASIS ENGAGED.** _

 

_**< < HANK: ↑** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after all this we need a BAMF! Connor story
> 
>  
> 
> or just,,,,more hurt Connor, I certainly don't mind either way B)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kinda thinking of continuing this?? but I'm not sure! 
> 
>  
> 
> If you'd like to see more, just uh, lemme know ig? and I'll def write something more for this!


End file.
